Unusual sights of Colombo: what to see when everything has already been visited

If you have already visited all the popular sights of Colombo, we suggest paying attention to lesser-known, but no less interesting places. Our selection is about them.

Sambodhi Chaitiya Stupa from the observation deck (Sambodhi Chaitiya)

In the Colombo Fort area, a white domed Buddhist stupa (dagoba), Sambodhi Chaitiya, is visible in the center next to the port. It rises 20 meters above the ground on special piles. It has no historical value, and serves as a reminder to the passing courts that Sri Lanka is a Buddhist country, but the place is unique and worthy of a visit in its own way. You can climb to the very top of the stupa by a ladder located next to the stupa and connected to it by a bridge. There is an observation deck, which offers a great view of the port and the city. Read more about the Sambodhi Chaitiya Stupa here...

The Maritime Museum (Colombo Maritime Museum)

The Maritime Museum is located next to the Sambodhi Chaitiya Stupa, more precisely, the stupa is located on the territory of the museum and is part of it. In general, this area with a museum and a stupa is adjacent to the port, and therefore it is not at all surprising that it appeared here. Its exposition, though not too large, will be interesting to many, especially if you visit it together with a stupa, to the top of which you can climb and look at the port and the Colombo Fort area from a bird's-eye view. Read more about the Colombo Maritime Museum here...

St. Peter's Church (St. Peters Church)

St. Peter's Church is located in the Fort district and is bordered on the west side by the Grand Oriental Hotel. This building is considered one of the oldest in Colombo, its construction dates back to 1700. Initially, there was a small chapel here, later - the house of the Dutch manager, and in the premises occupied today by the church, various solemn events and holidays were held. Since 1821, the building was transferred to the church and, due to its location near the port, was intended mainly for sailors and seafarers. Currently, the church has a small room on the ground floor. The rest, funnily enough, is occupied by a bar for sailors and a couple more offices. Local workers offer to go up to the second floor of the building for free and look at the port, however, due to nearby buildings and trees, nothing is practically visible.

Wolvendaal Church (Wolvendaal Church)

Wolvendaal Church is definitely one of the most interesting historical places in Colombo. It was built on a hill, and towered over the neighborhood. Today everything is built up around it and it is lost among the numerous buildings, but inside and on the territory the church still preserves the spirit of the past. The name translates from Dutch as "valley of the wolves", and not by chance. Jackals really lived here, and the territory itself was located outside the Fort area and had not yet been developed. The construction of the church took eight years (1749-1757) and dates back to the Dutch period of state development. Read more about the Church of Wolvendaal and photos here...

Wolfendhal Jumma Masjid Mosque

Across the street from the Wolvendaal Church stands a small beautiful Jumma Masjid Mosque. The building consists of two floors, with a tall minaret in the middle, serving as a call to prayer.

Sri Ponnambalam Vanesar Temple (Sri Ponnambalam Vanesar Kovil)

A beautiful Hindu temple built of gray Indian granite, unusual architecture and with interesting carvings. Unlike other Hindu temples, it is not so colorful and lush in its decoration. During the Thai Pongal festival, the harvest festival (January) becomes the venue for appropriate ceremonies with the participation of bulls.

Church of St. Lucia (St. Lucia Cathedral)

St. Lucia's Church is one of the oldest and largest in Sri Lanka. It houses the residence of the Catholic Archbishop of Sri Lanka. It was built by the Dutch in 1782 on the site of a small chapel. In the period from 1872 to 1902, due to lack of funds, lengthy work was carried out to rebuild the Church.

Of interest are the many statues of saints in the inner aisles of the hall, carved wooden confessionals, a statue of the dark-skinned Madonna (Our Lady of Kotahena), altars with the ashes of the dead, a marble font, a large bell weighing 4300kg, and an old organ. There is a statue of Saint Lucia herself on the main altar.

Sri Kailawasanathan Swami Devasthanam Temple (Sri Kailawasanathan Swami Devasthanam)

A Hindu temple dedicated to the gods Shiva and Ganesha. It is considered the largest and oldest among similar temples in Colombo. The colorful towers and interior of the temple are impressive. During the harvest festival, Thai Pongal (January) becomes a place of gathering of a large number of people and bulls - direct objects of worship. For placing your shoes on special racks, temple attendants will expect a tip from you. Read more about the temple and photos here...

Street Gallery Street Art Gallery

If you are visiting Viharamadevi Park or the National Museum in Colombo, pay attention to the Street Art Gallery located nearby. This is a modest but distinctive open-air art space where local artists put their paintings up for sale right on the sidewalk. In our experience, it's not worth going here on purpose because of the lack of infrastructure, but if you happen to be nearby, you can find interesting jobs here. Do not worry about transportation: the artists will carefully remove the canvas from the stretcher and roll it into a tube so that you can take the purchase home without any problems. Learn more about Street Art Gallery here...

Gotami Viharaya Temple (Gotami Vihara)

The small temple of Gotami Viharaya was built in the early XX century. and is known for its frescoes placed on the walls inside the perimeter, and depicting scenes from the life of Gautama Buddha. The frescoes were painted by the outstanding Sri Lankan artist and poet George Keyt (1901-1993) in the period from 1939-1940. Read more about the Gotami Viharaya Temple and photos here...

Colombo Cemetery (Borella Cemetery)

This central Cemetery of Colombo is located in the Borella district, although there are small cemeteries in other parts of the city. It is noteworthy that its territory is conditionally divided into parts, according to the religious beliefs of the buried people. Separate places are allocated for the burial of Christians, Buddhists, Hindus. Sometimes here you can see the cremation rituals of the deceased, carried out symbolically (without a body). Read more about Colombo cemetery and photos here...

Eye Hospital (The Victoria Memorial Eye Hospital)

The most beautiful building, so unusual for local architecture, is made in the Indo-Saracenic style. The construction of the building was laid in 1903, and completed in 1905. The name - The Victoria Memorial was given to him in honor of the 60th anniversary of the reign of Queen Victoria. The Hospital looks very impressive to this day, however, it should be noted that its maintenance by local authorities is not carried out properly. Some medical units are located in the walls of the building today, and it is part of the Colombo National Hospital located behind it.

There is no point in going inside the hospital, unless you have health problems. It's not worth going here specifically to look at the hospital, but you can inspect and photograph it if you find yourself in these parts during a trip to the Odel store or when visiting the Baptist church.

Davatagaha Mosque (Dewatagaha Mosque)

While walking around Colombo in the Viharamadevi Park area, pay attention to the Davatagaha Mosque – a unique architectural monument and the second most important mosque in Colombo, whose history dates back about 150 years. The foundation of the mosque is fanned by an amazing legend about a saint who helped a poor woman, and was built precisely on the site of this miracle. Our research confirms that this place attracts not only with its spiritual purity, but also with its notable architecture with characteristic features of Halle, elegant minarets and famous calligraphic works.

Museum of Money

If you are planning to exchange currency in the Colombo Fort area, combine this with a visit to the Sri Lanka Money Museum - this is a little–known but interesting place. Based on our personal experience, it is in this area that you can often find a profitable course, and the museum itself, with absolutely free admission, offers an extensive exposition on the history of the country's money. It's probably not worth coming here specifically from other parts of the city, but if you happen to be nearby, go in – it will give you an informative idea of the island's economy. Keep in mind that the museum has a lunch break, which is better to clarify in advance. Read more about the Sri Lanka Money Museum here...

Khan clock tower

Clock towers are an integral part of urban architecture and daily life in major cities of Sri Lanka, and Khan Clock Tower in the business district of Colombo Fort is one of them. This historic tower was built at the beginning of the XX century as a memorial in honor of the son of a wealthy merchant, and today serves primarily as a recognizable landmark, not a special tourist attraction. It is interesting precisely as a traditional detail of the cityscape, and nothing more. Located on a busy transport interchange, it is impossible to get inside. It is most convenient to catch a glimpse of it on the way to other attractions, for example, on the way to the Pettah area.

New City Port City (Port City)

Port City is a new area, one might even say a new city, which has been under construction for several years on artificial land in the center of Colombo near the port and Fort districts. There are grandiose plans for this place that it will become a new attraction for tourists, a modern and clean area with financial companies, shopping centers, hotels, a new beach and places for pleasant walks. A lot of things from the planned objects have already appeared on maps, but so far in reality there is only a construction site and wastelands. Only one conventional attraction was available here at the time of our visit – the Friendship pedestrian Bridge and the Marina pedestrian promenade, which offers a beautiful view of Halle Face Green. There's nothing else to do here.

Friendship Bridge (Friendship Bridge)

Friendship Bridge is one of the new attractions in the new area of Port City. This is a beautiful modern pedestrian bridge, which is planned to be part of a large promenade area along the seashore. But so far, except for a small part of the embankment and the bridge, there are only construction sites around. In our opinion, a full–fledged area with a walking area is a prospect for the next 5 or 10 years, so for now we will not recommend visiting the bridge and in general this area with a construction site. But if you have free time, you can come here to take beautiful photos with a view of the city.